Green For All, State Innovation Exchange Launch Campaign To Revolutionize State Climate Policy

Green For All, State Innovation Exchange Launch Campaign To Revolutionize State Climate Policy

Groups Team Up to Push State Climate Policy that Prioritizes Communities of Color and Low-Income Communities Harmed First and Worst by Fossil Fuels

Oakland, Ca. -- Following Trump’s announcement this week that his administration plans to dismantle the Clean Power Plan, Green For All -- a non-profit co-founded by Van Jones and led by policy architect and innovator Vien Truong -- launched a campaign with the State Innovation Exchange (SiX) urging state legislators to advance state climate policy and pledge to prioritize funds to invest in communities of color and low-income communities that have been harmed first and worst by fossil fuels.

As part of this effort, SiX will distribute a new climate toolkit to more than 1,500 state lawmakers this week. This toolkit will encourage legislators to focus on the “California model” of climate policy investment, including the groundbreaking SB 535 (State Sen. Kevin de León), which directs a significant proportion of proceeds from the state’s cap-and-trade program to rebuild communities and prioritize workers most harmed by industrial pollution in the fossil fuel era.

“Donald Trump is attacking climate protections in every way possible. We need progressive state legislators to lead the resistance with state climate policy that stands up for frontline families who have been hurt first and worst by fossil fuels,” said Vien Truong, director of Green For All. “We are proud to partner with the State Innovation Exchange to offer support to state legislators hoping to drive innovative climate policy that puts communities that have lived for too long with industrial pollution first in the clean energy economy.”

The legislator toolkit provides guidance on how to support disadvantaged communities and displaced workers should a state choose carbon pricing as part of its plan to transition to a clean energy economy. Participating lawmakers will have access to Green For All’s experience driving SB 535 -- which is approaching its five-year anniversary -- from passage to successful implementation, including raising billions of dollars to rebuild communities on the front lines of fossil fuel pollution.

“SiX is thrilled to partner with Green For All on the release of this legislative toolkit. State leadership is needed now more than ever, and carbon pricing is one major set of market mechanisms that lawmakers can use to promote innovation and clean energy adoption,” said Nick Rathod, executive director of the State Innovation Exchange (SiX). “As the Trump administration begins to dismantle the Clean Power Plan and other federal clean air and water regulations, it is incumbent upon state policymakers to protect public health, safeguard the environment, and combat climate change.”

SiX distributed the toolkit to their extensive network of legislators alongside the launch of a campaign by Green For All -- “Frontlines First” -- to prioritize low-income individuals and communities of color in climate change. As part of this campaign, Green For All released a video with Greenlining Institute and the California Climate Equity Coalition telling the story of California’s groundbreaking policy (SB 535) that rebuilds frontline communities using polluter profits.

Carbon pricing models, pioneered in the states, may be the next major tool in the fight against climate change. And while battles over clean energy and carbon pollution continue to rage across the nation, SiX Action and Green For All plan to support state policymakers as they work to address the needs of the communities most impacted by climate change.

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About Green For All: Green For All is a climate and economic justice organization working at the intersection of poverty and pollution to create an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. Green For All is an initiative of The Dream Corps, a social justice accelerator for transformative campaigns, ideas and innovations.

About the State Innovation Exchange (SiX): The State Innovation Exchange is a national resource and strategy center that supports state legislators in advancing and defending progressive policies across the country. With a long-term vision of building progressive power and infrastructure at the state level, we have built a network of more than 1,500 elected officials who represent all 50 states.

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#GreenForAll, #YesWeCode, #cut50, and #LoveArmy, are initiativesof the Dream Corps, a social justice accelerator for transformativecampaigns, ideas, and innovations. We work to close prison doorsand open doors of opportunity. We fight hate with Love + Power.